Billboard : 12/30/1957
Score of 77

An assemblage of ‘hard-swingers’ under the leadership of drummer Art Taylor – D. Byrd, J. McLean, C. Rouse, R. Bryant etc. – rooted to the bop school, essay an open, throbbing swing that has evolved out of rhythmic convolutions of bop style. Tenorist Rouse and trumpeter Byrd as in especially fine form; Taylor, his forceful, tasteful self. Sell to ‘main stream’ modern buyers. Try Monk‘s Well You Needn’t as demo track.

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Cash Box : 1/18/1958

The waxing features the exciting drum work of Art Taylor who works with eight other noted jazz musicians among them John Coltrane (tenor sax), Ray Bryant (piano), and Jackie McLean (alto sax). The six selections include Off Minor, Well You Needn’t, and Cubano Chant, the latter a Ray Bryant number. Everything goes off in top manner for the artists as they offer some real swinging sessions. OK issue.

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San Francisco Examiner
C.H. Garrigues : 01/26/1958

One of the most cheering thoughts in a record world seemingly given over to the trivial and the meretricious springs from the steady (and apparently profitable) flow of solid jazz records from a few of the smaller companies which steadfastly refuse to compromise their good quality or good taste. Among these labels are Atlantic, Bethlehem, Blue Note, Debut and Prestige, which is perhaps the most dependable of the lot.

On Prestige’s first team are men like Donald Byrd, Idrees Suliman and Bill Hardman, trumpets; John Coltrane, Gene Ammons, Jackie McLean and Sahib Shihab, saxes; Mal Waldron, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Paul Chambers, bass, and Art Taylor, drums. None of these men (unless it be Byrd and possibly Coltrane) is a champion and yet there is not a one who is not a runner-up. And, in addition, Prestige has a second team which includes Thad Jones and Webster Young, trumpets; Bobby Jaspar and Frank Wess, flutes and tenors; Paul Quinichette, tenor; Phil Woods and Gene Quill, altos, and Red Garland, piano.

All this is by way of introduction to a handful of new Prestige albums, most of which are worthy of extended individual review but which constitute enough of a picture to be considered as a group. Each exemplifies the modern, hard bop trend in jazz; together they show nearly best (but, I think, not THE best) in this type of jazz.

…

The presence of Donald Byrd and Coltrane’s provocative, harsh vibrato makes Taylor’s Wailers my second choice of the lot. This also has Charlie Rouse, Ray Bryant and Wendell Marshall in several tracks. The outcome is very good, on the whole.

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Down Beat : 03/06/1958
Don Gold : 4 stars

Five of the tunes included here were recorded by the basic unit above at an east coast blowing session. [Artist20690,Jimmy Heath’s C.T.A., with Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, and Taylor, is from another session, but was selected by Taylor to complete this LP.

The musicianship is generally of top quality here, which makes this LP an appealing one. Rouse and Byrd are particularly effective and McLean is characteristically furious. The rhythm sections are excellent, too. Coltrane’s track is not top level Coltrane, but is reasonably satisfying.

Although this session can be termed a “blowing session,” several of the charts are more than excuses for solos.

This is particularly true in the case of the two Thelonious Monk charts – Minor and Needn’t. Monk supplied the arrangements and supervise the recording of the two tunes, with satisfying results. The performances of the Monk tunes are the high points of the set.

As Ira Gitler points out in the liner notes, “Taylor’s Wailers live up to their name.” I agree.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

With all the jazz talent that has been funneled into New York from Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., some people have lost sight of the fact that there are many exceptional jazzmen who were born right here in the Apple. A bassman friend of mine was in Detroit recently and some of the local musicians were boasting about their native sons who had made good and the general excellence of Detroit jazz while clearly inferring that New York jazzmen were not too hip. My friend agreed that there were quite a number of Detroiters that his adversary could be very proud of but there were also a few New Yorkers who could play. “After all, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, Cecil Payne, Mal Waldron, Walter Bishop and Arthur Taylor are not exactly amateurs.”

He could have added many others but the point was made and his antagonist quickly silenced.

What about the native New York musicians the local cats so to speak? A typical example is Arthur Taylor, the last named on my friend’s list. He was born (April 16, 1929), raised and still lives in Harem where he gained his first experience by playing weekend gigs in a neighborhood band that included Jackie McLean on saxophone, Kenny Drew at the piano and Art Phipps on bass. Arthur, who studied privately with Chick Morrison, made his first “name” job with Howard McGhee but it was a year and a half with Coleman Hawkins in 1950-51 that afforded him his first solid stretch of playing jazz. Thereafter. he worked with Buddy De Franco in 1952, Bud Powell in 1953, George Wallington and Art Farmer–Gigi Gryce in 1954, and has won recognition among musicians who kept him busy working and recording on a free-lance basis in the next three years. Some of these playing assignments were with Bud Powell on several occasions and both the Jazz Lab (Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd) and Miles Davis groups in 1957.

In late 1956 at the now defunct Pad in Greenwich Village, A.T., as he is more familiarly known, headed a group which was colorfully titled Taylor’s Wailers. Donald Byrd was present on all the outings and Charlie Rouse filled an important role in some of the earlier nights in the series of weekends that the Wailers played. Arthur, who had done numerous recordings, as a sideman, for Prestige, approached Bob Weinstock with the idea of a Taylor’s Wailers album and found him favorably inclined. The date didn’t happen until early in 1957, but A.T. managed to assemble some of the original Wailers. Of them, and his other choices, he says, “They are some of my very favorite musicians.”

Taking them alphabetically, Ray Bryant is a young pianist from Philadelphia who has been accompanying Carmen McRae. Further evidence of his rich ideas and marvelous touch can be heard in the Ray Bryant Trio (Prestige LP 7098).

Detroit product Donald Byrd is one of the best young trumpeters on the New York scene and still developing. He has played with the Jazz Messengers, Max Roach, the Jazz Lab and Sonny Rollins. His virile horn can also be heard in Three Trumpets (Prestige LP 7092).

Wendell Marshall is the first cousin of the immortal Jimmy Blanton and is doing an excellent job of keeping the family tradition healthy. A native of St. Louis, Wendell played with Duke Ellington from 1948-1955 and has since bulwarked many a New York group in his free-lance activities.

From that neighborhood band, Jackie McLean emerged to record, while still a teenager, with Miles Davis. After a stint with George Wallington, he allied himself with Prestige and has done numerous LPs as a leader for this company. During that time he played with groups of Charlie Mingus, Art Blakey and now his own unit. The latter can be heard on Jackie McLean & Co. (Prestige LP 7087) and Tuba Sounds (Prestige LP 7096).

Charlie Rouse is from Washington, D.C. where he was born on the same date as Arthur Taylor, only five years earlier. He studied clarinet with Sergeant Rice of Howard University but came to New York in the early Forties to play with the bands of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie and the combo of Tadd Dameron. He is a good example of a musician from out of town who comes to New York and flowers in the active musical atmosphere. Rouse was with Duke Ellington in 1949-50. Since then he has free-lanced with various groups including Benny Green‘s until 1956 when he joined with Julius Watkins to form Les Jazz Modes. On Prestige he can also be heard in Bennie Green Blows His Horn (LP 7052).

A. T. also chose the music which is an interesting sampling of modern writing.

The first side opens with a blues by Lee Sears entitled Batland. It has an old-time, down home feeling fused to the modern. After an introduction by Ray, Arthur and Wendell walk awhile. Then Ray returns to preface the theme which is neatly accented and underlined by Arthur. Solos are by Rouse, McLean, Byrd and Bryant. During the first three, Ray and Wendell get a figure going behind the soloists while Arthur instigates some doubletime in Donald’s stint. Before the theme is restated, Wendell and Arthur engage in four-bar conversation.

C.T.A., by Philadelphia saxophonist Jimmy Heath, is from another session and was chosen by Arthur to complete the album of Wailers. Another Philadelphia saxophonist, John Coltrane, shares the solo spotlight with fellow Philadelphian, Red Garland and A.T. Coltrane, Garland and Chambers were, of course, 3/4s of the Miles Davis Quintet at this time and Garland, Chambers and Taylor have made up the Red Garland Trio on many separate occasions for Prestige.

A second original by Lee Sears is Exhibit A with solos by Byrd, McLean, Rouse, Bryant and Taylor. After a half chorus of exchanges between Byrd and the leader, the group returns to take the theme out.

Side B is actuated by pianist Ray Bryant’s Cubano Chant. Ray plays and the ensemble answers in stating the theme. The solo pattern is Rouse, Byrd, Mclean and Bryant with Taylor taking a short bit on this minor-key opus.

The remainder of this side is devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk. Off Minor and Well You Needn’t are compositions that have not been recorded very often for they represent a challenge to the musician. Monk was extremely helpful relates Arthur. He not only supplied the arrangements but was present at the date in order to conduct his selections. While doing his characteristic dance in front of the band, Monk opined, “If you can’t dance to it, then it’s not swinging.”

Off Minor has been previously heard in trio versions by Monk himself and Bud Powell but this is the first band recording. Monk has supplied an interesting voicing of this harmonically intriguing composition. A short drum introduction leads into the theme which is taken at a faster tempo than in its previous appearances. Solos are by Rouse, Byrd, Mclean, Bryant and Taylor.

The closer, Well You Needn’t, begins with a Taylor intro into the bridge played by Ray Bryant. Then Donald Byrd enters to play the last eight bars of the theme and commence the soloing. Rouse follows and McLean and Bryant also have their say. Then Donald and A.T. have a talk in four-bar bursts before Arthur solos for a chorus. Donald picks up the soloing again for the last chorus, returning to the original theme only in the last eight bars.

In his first recorded venture as a leader, Arthur Taylor acquits himself well on several counts. His choices of men and material are astute. His solos in the Roach-Blakey tradition are crisp, melodic, well-structured and personally oriented; his backing is tightly-knit and ever swinging (listen to him in Off Minor) and as Rudy Van Gelder will verify, he is one of the best drummers to record soundwise.

The combination of A.T.’s solid drumming with spirited performances by Byrd, Mclean and Bryant, some of the best Charlie Rouse on record, the usual professional job by Marshall and an extra fillip from Coltrane, Garland and Chambers makes this album a success. Taylor’s Wailer’s live up to their name.